Key



F. 0. WARREN.

KEY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.4.1919.

1 ,333,887, Patented Mar. 16,1920.

FRANK O. WARREN, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 4, 1919. Serial No. 315,172.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK O. WARREN, a citizen of the United States, at present residing at Manchester, in the county of l-lillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in keys and the invention primarily has for its object to provide a key of the skeleton type with provisions for regulating the length of the lip or bridge of the key.

The invention has for its especial object to provide an adjustable skeleton key of the nature stated of a simple and effective construction which can be cheaply manufactured and which will readily serve its intended purposes.

The invention also resides in those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described, then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the key embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section and part elevation of the same showing the position of the parts in full lines which they assume when the bridge is in its retracted position and showing the position of the bridge member in its extended position in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section and part elevation of a portion of the key.

Fig. a is an end view showing the bow.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section and part elevation through the pin and stem portion of the key.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of the adjustable bridge member.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 1 represents the stem of the key, 2 the bow, 3 the pin portion of the key which is separated from the stem by the usual collar, as shown, and 4 represents the fixed guide or shank portion of the key which consists of two grooved members spaced apart to receive the shank5 of the bridge member 7, the shank 5 having tongues 6 to fit the grooves in the guides 4. 8 is a notch in one of the tongues 6 to receive the ends of a spring 18 which is carried at 20 by a plug 19 and is adapted to retract the bridge member to the position shown in Fig. 1. The shank 5 of the bridge member has its inner end beveled at '9 to cooperate with the bevel face 11 of a plunger 10 which is carried by a stem 12 that is held from turning by means of a pin 14: engaging the slot 13 of the stem. The stem 12 is moved longitudinally by a nut 16 threaded at 15 to the stem, the threaded portion of the stem projecting across the bow 2 of the key so that the nut 16 will lie in the bow, the bow being bent at 17 to allow for the projection of the thread ed end 15'of the stem 12,

lVhen it is desired to extend the bridge member 7 the nut 16 is turned to force the plunger 10 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 and when it is desired to retract the bridge member the stem 12 is moved in the opposite direction whereupon the spring 18 will return the bridge member 7 toward its initial position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought the complete construction and advantages of the invention will'be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

hat I claim is:

1. A key comprising a stem, a bow, a pin portion and a bridge member, said bridge member havin a shank, guides carried by the pin portion of the key and slidably' engaged by member and a wedge device for moving said bridge member outwardly. andmeans in the bow of the key for operating said wedge device.

2. A key comprising a stem, a bow, a pin portion and a bridge member, said bridge member having a shank, guides carried by the pin portion of the key and slidably engaged by the stem of the bridge member, a'wedge device for moving said bridge member outwardly, means in the bow of the key for operating said wedge device, and a spring in the pin portion of the key for moving said bridge member back to its initial position when said wedge device is withdrawn.

3. A key comprising a stem, a pin portion and a bow and a bridge member, said bridge member including a shank, a pair of fixed guides carried by the pin between which said shank is slidably moved, said Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

the stem of the bridge guides and said shank having tongue and groove spring engagement With one another, a held Within the pin portion of the key and engaging the shank of the bridge 5 member to tracted, the shank of said having a longitudinally movable in the key stern and pin portion for engaging the end of said 10 bridge she ink to extend the bridge, said plunger member including a stem having a threaded end projected across the bow of the key, a nut located in the bow of the key, and threaded onto said stem and a pin and slot connection between the stem of: the key and the stern of the plunger member, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

FRANK O. AB-PEN. 

